Status
Available
Collection
Genres
Publication
Penguin Books (1998), Edition: 1, 294 pages
Description
Cod spans a thousand years and four continents. From the Vikings, who pursued the codfish across the Atlantic, and the enigmatic Basques, who first commercialized it in medieval times, to Bartholomew Gosnold, who named Cape Cod in 1602, and Clarence Birdseye, who founded an industry on frozen cod in the 1930s, Mark Kurlansky introduces the explorers, merchants, writers, chefs, and of course the fishermen, whose lives have interwoven with this prolific fish. He chronicles the fifteenth-century politics of the Hanseatic League and the cod wars of the sixteenth and twentieth centuries. He embellishes his story with gastronomic detail, blending in recipes and lore from the Middle Ages to the present. And he brings to life the cod itself: its personality, habits, extended family, and ultimately the tragedy of how the most profitable fish in history is today faced with extinction. From fishing ports in New England and Newfoundland to coastal skiffs, schooners, and factory ships across the Atlantic; from Iceland and Scandinavia to the coasts of England, Brazil, and West Africa, Mark Kurlansky tells a story that brings world history and human passions into captivating focus. The codfish. Wars have been fought over it, revolutions have been spurred by it, national diets have been based on it, economies and livelihoods have depended on it, and the settlement of North America was driven by it. To the millions it has sustained, it has been a treasure more precious than gold. Indeed, the codfish has played a fascinating and crucial role in world history.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member richardderus
Victorian scientists said that cod was the fish in the miracle of the loaves and fishes because there were so darn many of them....
Yeah, late to the party yet again...13 years late. I read this book, I would swear, when it came out; I recognized a few of the anecdotes, and I remember the jacket
Well, whatever, if it was a re-read it was a fun one. I like Kurlansky's informative-yet-chatty style, and I love the angle of view in the book...what's cod done for us as a species? So what? What's cod made possible in the world? The rise of an independent America. The agrarian horrors of African chattel slavery. The Industrial Revolution. Little stuff like that was built on the white-fleshed back of a formerly abundant fish.
I like cod. Salted, dried, fresh-frozen, the tongues, the cheeks...it's all good, as my daughter's generation says with monotonous regularity (and questionable factual basis). I never once thought about Cod, the deliverer from hunger, until the Cod Wars of the early 1970s. I remember the world reaction to Iceland going to a 200-mile fishing limit with a teenager's detached bemusement: "So? Little teeny place like that, let 'em have it, big whoop." For rhetorical effect, let's assume I was sitting in front of the TV eating Gorton's fish sticks at the time I said this, though I spent little time with the TV and less eating fish sticks as a kid.
It caused such trouble because of cod's enormous significance even now as an agribusiness output. Iceland's post-colonial economy was built on cod; Canada's Maritime provinces relied on it in those days (and on unemployment payments from the rest of Canada now that cod's commercially extinct); Norway and the UK want all there is to have so their fisheries industries don't wither away and leave them hungry as well as sailor-less.
Kurlansky wrote a very enjoyable read about a very important food-source and industrial product. I recommend it to anyone even marginally interested in the world around them, to science browsers, and to policy wonks of a scientific bent. You won't regret it.
Yeah, late to the party yet again...13 years late. I read this book, I would swear, when it came out; I recognized a few of the anecdotes, and I remember the jacket
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design very clearly. But a lot had slipped from my memory, and I now wonder if I actually read it, or had enough conversations about it to think I had.Well, whatever, if it was a re-read it was a fun one. I like Kurlansky's informative-yet-chatty style, and I love the angle of view in the book...what's cod done for us as a species? So what? What's cod made possible in the world? The rise of an independent America. The agrarian horrors of African chattel slavery. The Industrial Revolution. Little stuff like that was built on the white-fleshed back of a formerly abundant fish.
I like cod. Salted, dried, fresh-frozen, the tongues, the cheeks...it's all good, as my daughter's generation says with monotonous regularity (and questionable factual basis). I never once thought about Cod, the deliverer from hunger, until the Cod Wars of the early 1970s. I remember the world reaction to Iceland going to a 200-mile fishing limit with a teenager's detached bemusement: "So? Little teeny place like that, let 'em have it, big whoop." For rhetorical effect, let's assume I was sitting in front of the TV eating Gorton's fish sticks at the time I said this, though I spent little time with the TV and less eating fish sticks as a kid.
It caused such trouble because of cod's enormous significance even now as an agribusiness output. Iceland's post-colonial economy was built on cod; Canada's Maritime provinces relied on it in those days (and on unemployment payments from the rest of Canada now that cod's commercially extinct); Norway and the UK want all there is to have so their fisheries industries don't wither away and leave them hungry as well as sailor-less.
Kurlansky wrote a very enjoyable read about a very important food-source and industrial product. I recommend it to anyone even marginally interested in the world around them, to science browsers, and to policy wonks of a scientific bent. You won't regret it.
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LibraryThing member LynnB
After reading Cod, I definitely will read more books by Mark Kurlansky.
My work deals with aboriginal rights, fishing being a key one for many communities. Deciding to read Cod was related to my work. My first thought was that I was glad it was a short (276 pages) book.
It was fascinating! I will
Not only does this short book talk about exploration and history, it also deals with technology, including the ability to freeze food and how that changed demand for cod. There is a lot packed in here -- including several (too many?) recipes for salt cod. In fact, the whole last section (A Cook's Tale) is a collection of recipes and I did skip most of it.
Interspersed with the story
My work deals with aboriginal rights, fishing being a key one for many communities. Deciding to read Cod was related to my work. My first thought was that I was glad it was a short (276 pages) book.
It was fascinating! I will
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be recommending it to my book club. Mr. Kurlansky talks about environmental, historical, economic and political issues in a way that is readable, and that tells a story. The "cod wars" between England and Iceland were particularly entertaining and even funny at times. I had no idea that it was tiny Iceland who first proclaimed a 12 mile offshore ownership, and first enforced today's 200 mile limit.Not only does this short book talk about exploration and history, it also deals with technology, including the ability to freeze food and how that changed demand for cod. There is a lot packed in here -- including several (too many?) recipes for salt cod. In fact, the whole last section (A Cook's Tale) is a collection of recipes and I did skip most of it.
Interspersed with the story
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LibraryThing member AlexTheHunn
By focusing on the codfish, a truly prodigious creature whose influence in history may surprise some, Mark Kurlansky manages to deliver an engaging little book filled with environmental, economic, social and political history, not to mention humorous anecdotes and mouth-watering recipes. Perhaps it
Like the good story-teller he is, Kurlansky teases the reader by giving a glimpse of the end of the tale as an introduction; he describes the exploits of modern day Canadians who no longer catch cod, but now monitor them. For the fish that once throve in the icy North Atlantic to the degree that men could just scoop them up in baskets, now verges on extinction. Having fixed the eventual outcome in the reader’s mind, Kurlansky then begins the real history of cod, tracing man’s relationship with it for a thousand years.
Kurlansky relates that Basque fishermen pursued cod farther and farther into the North Atlantic until they eventually came to the shores of Labrador and Newfoundland around 1000 C.E. For a variety of reasons, primarily because their motives were not based on land exploration and to maintain their secret monopoly, the Basques remained silent about their find. (It did not hurt that almost no one else could understand their language.) Although the Basques had the fishing grounds virtually to themselves for centuries, eventually Icelandic and English fishermen found their way to the high-yield waters that had served the Basques so well. While the Basques who had been searching for fish disregarded the land they found as a by-product, the English who sought routes to Asia, cared immensely about both the land and the cod.
Kurlansky asserts that cod influenced, if not drove, European economies, and by extension, discovery and, to a lesser degree, exploration and settlement. As soon as English settlers became established beyond marginal subsistence, they began fishing for cod with great success. Kurlansky plays upon two interrelated themes, almost from the beginning of his book. First, he notes that people continuously observe how vast was the population of cod and that it was inconceivable that it should ever be extinguished, even if one tried. Second, he reports that as the demand for cod increased, and the availability of improved technology increased, the means by which the cod were fished became ever-increasingly more sophisticated and efficient.
Having tipped his hand regarding the current conditions, it comes as no surprise that by the twentieth century, the hauls of cod become lighter and lighter. Moreover, Iceland, Canada, England and Spain et al., become protective and even paranoid/xenophobic about each other’s responsibility for the declining cod population. England and Iceland in particular irrationally blame other nations, when evidence suggests that they, more than others, caused the over-fishing of cod themselves.
Whether or not one cares specifically about cod, Kurlansky’s book serves as a splendid vehicle to illustrate international politics of the North Atlantic. Unfortunately, the prognostication looks grim based on his findings. While several nations have taken steps to appear to comply with sanctions on cod fishing, the fishing continues nevertheless and little, if anything, has been done to lessen the demand. Kurlansky asserts that other fish have been substituted for cod, sometimes explicitly, often without mention. He suggests that based on the relatively swift demise of the cod, which seemed inextinguishable, other species that are not as aggressively reproductive as the cod stand little chance of continued existence. Kurlansky shows the way environmental fiascos can occur through shortsightedness and greed. He implies that with proper care and provision, depletion of the food species need not occur.
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is Kurlansky’s background as a journalist that enables him to pack so much information with such economy.Like the good story-teller he is, Kurlansky teases the reader by giving a glimpse of the end of the tale as an introduction; he describes the exploits of modern day Canadians who no longer catch cod, but now monitor them. For the fish that once throve in the icy North Atlantic to the degree that men could just scoop them up in baskets, now verges on extinction. Having fixed the eventual outcome in the reader’s mind, Kurlansky then begins the real history of cod, tracing man’s relationship with it for a thousand years.
Kurlansky relates that Basque fishermen pursued cod farther and farther into the North Atlantic until they eventually came to the shores of Labrador and Newfoundland around 1000 C.E. For a variety of reasons, primarily because their motives were not based on land exploration and to maintain their secret monopoly, the Basques remained silent about their find. (It did not hurt that almost no one else could understand their language.) Although the Basques had the fishing grounds virtually to themselves for centuries, eventually Icelandic and English fishermen found their way to the high-yield waters that had served the Basques so well. While the Basques who had been searching for fish disregarded the land they found as a by-product, the English who sought routes to Asia, cared immensely about both the land and the cod.
Kurlansky asserts that cod influenced, if not drove, European economies, and by extension, discovery and, to a lesser degree, exploration and settlement. As soon as English settlers became established beyond marginal subsistence, they began fishing for cod with great success. Kurlansky plays upon two interrelated themes, almost from the beginning of his book. First, he notes that people continuously observe how vast was the population of cod and that it was inconceivable that it should ever be extinguished, even if one tried. Second, he reports that as the demand for cod increased, and the availability of improved technology increased, the means by which the cod were fished became ever-increasingly more sophisticated and efficient.
Having tipped his hand regarding the current conditions, it comes as no surprise that by the twentieth century, the hauls of cod become lighter and lighter. Moreover, Iceland, Canada, England and Spain et al., become protective and even paranoid/xenophobic about each other’s responsibility for the declining cod population. England and Iceland in particular irrationally blame other nations, when evidence suggests that they, more than others, caused the over-fishing of cod themselves.
Whether or not one cares specifically about cod, Kurlansky’s book serves as a splendid vehicle to illustrate international politics of the North Atlantic. Unfortunately, the prognostication looks grim based on his findings. While several nations have taken steps to appear to comply with sanctions on cod fishing, the fishing continues nevertheless and little, if anything, has been done to lessen the demand. Kurlansky asserts that other fish have been substituted for cod, sometimes explicitly, often without mention. He suggests that based on the relatively swift demise of the cod, which seemed inextinguishable, other species that are not as aggressively reproductive as the cod stand little chance of continued existence. Kurlansky shows the way environmental fiascos can occur through shortsightedness and greed. He implies that with proper care and provision, depletion of the food species need not occur.
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LibraryThing member SeriousGrace
This is a book about all things cod. Really. Beyond the historical and ecological significance of the fish there is etymology and art and music and of course, recipes. I have a student worker who is just amazed someone could write an entire book not just about fish in general, but a specific fish
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at that. Here's my reply: It's a concise book, but did you know that color of a cod fish depends on the local conditions? Also, the colder the water, the smaller the fish because cod grow faster in warmer waters. Better yet, there are fascinating tidbits not related to cod. For example, all English towns that end in "wich" were at one time salt producers. And did you know Clarence Birdseye of Brooklyn, New York held over 250 patents before his death and not all were related to freezing food? But, back to the cod: let's not forget about the historical significance this fish had on the American Revolution! Interesting, right? So, in the end one can safely say it's not just about a fish. Show Less
LibraryThing member bragan
I often enjoy reading "microhistories": non-fiction that focuses on one very narrow subject but manages to tie that subject into much larger aspects of history and society. I think this may be one of the first books that really popularized this particular subgenre, back in 1997, which is what made
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it interesting to me. In this case, the narrow subject the book revolves around is the humble codfish, which, it turns out, has indeed played a massive role in human history, as well as telling us some important things about the effect of humans on the natural world today. It's decently written and informative (and also contains a large number of cod-related recipes from many different times and places, if that's something you're into). I will admit that, as someone who has very little inherent interest in fish -- I don't even eat them very much -- I sometimes had a little trouble staying entirely engaged even as I fully recognized the scope and importance of the subject, but I hardly feel like I can complain that a book about fish was a little too much about fish for me. Show Less
LibraryThing member Niecierpek
I learned more from this book about cod, cod fishing, cod wars, cod recipes from around
the world than I ever thought was possible. Quite interesting.
the world than I ever thought was possible. Quite interesting.
LibraryThing member brewergirl
This was a fascinating book about an unlikely subject. It shows the far-reaching impact of one industry on various areas and cultures. Very interesting especially when you realize that fishing rights and issues are still being debated and discussed today.
LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
Cod--not a favorite food. Mind you, salt-cod (bacalao) was a staple in my Puerto Rican family, but Americanized that I am, for me it was a reason to flee the family apartment until the smell was gone. This book on the fish was... moderately interesting. I didn't feel it was compelling in its
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narrative--it felt like a long extended textbook inset. You know, you're reading an American history textbook and there's this box that tells you how important cotton was to Georgia or silver to Nevada? Well, it was that sort of thing... only about cod. With lots of recipes thrown in, both before each new chapter and 40 pages of cod cookery in the back. The writer in fact was a chef and a food writer for the New York Times--and notably not a historian. So we got dabs of natural and human history such as suggestions the Basques may have discovered the New World first (and kept quiet so as to have the Grand Banks fisheries all to themselves), learn cod "built Boston" and was crucial to the Atlantic slave trade and the dilemma of contemporary fisherman caused by overfishing: fishing enough to keep earning a living is fishing too much to sustain the wild fish population. At least according to Kurlansky circa 1997--and a search online will quickly let you know it's still an issue today in 2012. Show Less
LibraryThing member mktab
This is some great writing! Pretty amazing to making the life of a fish entertaining and compelling.
LibraryThing member sergerca
Very interesting topic- surprisingly. I really enjoyed learning about the intersection of cod fishing and New World exploration. However, the last major part of the book is almost exclusively devoted to recipes and the culutres who ate them. I had to skip this part as it was very dull. All in all,
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interesting topic and well done. Show Less
LibraryThing member NocturnalLibrarian
A surprisingly entertaining book. Who knew a book about cod could be so full of information and intrigue. The author traces the history of cod and cod fishing and its emmense impact on the world. As a bonus, the author includes many tempting, interesting, and sometimes disgusting recipes for cod.
LibraryThing member MaowangVater
The economic history of the North Atlantic cod fisheries is seasoned with historical recipies for preparing the fish.
LibraryThing member craigim
This was a fabulous book. As someone who is tangentially involved in the politics of setting up Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in California, and who has a lot of friends deeply mired in the process, the sad tale of fishermen holding on to the bitter end the idea that their practices are not
Kurlansky does a great job of chronicling the 1000+ year history of the cod fishery, including the methods, the migrations, the politics, and even the historical recipes. Like in Salt, he takes a single topic and shows how a basic food item can move nations to the brink of war. Given recent worldwide shortages, I would give even odds that his next book will be titled 'Rice'.
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sustainable, and that they cannot keep building bigger and bigger trawlers and expect the fish stocks to remain stable, rang sadly true. The professionals blame pollution and sport fishers. The sport fishers blame the polluters and the professionals, and the polluters blame the amateurs and professionals. The same thing is going on in California's abalone, lobster, and sport fisheries.Kurlansky does a great job of chronicling the 1000+ year history of the cod fishery, including the methods, the migrations, the politics, and even the historical recipes. Like in Salt, he takes a single topic and shows how a basic food item can move nations to the brink of war. Given recent worldwide shortages, I would give even odds that his next book will be titled 'Rice'.
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LibraryThing member njvroom
This small tome provides fascinating insight into the historical importance of cod to the development of Europe and North America. Initially drawn by the uniqueness of the subject (Who has read a biography about a species of fish?), I was very impressed with how author Mark Kurlansky weaves the
Kurlansky develops the cod fishing industry through time as well as location. Attention is given to Gloucester, Iceland, and Newlyn, three cod fish capitals in a former life. However these towns, as well as the codfish industry itself, are being lost due to overfishing. The author takes time to describe the current state of the codfish industry, where overfishing and the subsequent government-issued moratoriums have forced most cod fishermen into the unemployment line.
This very entertaining book will leave you wanting more. I have already added a few similar subject books to my “To Read” list in order to whet my appetite. Overall, a very good book about the impact of a fish on 1000 years of world history, and the current struggles to keep this fish from extinction.
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importance of cod into the narrative of history. The secret to the Basque development in the Middle Ages? They had discovered the North Atlantic cod fields. How were the Vikings able to survive on voyages to Iceland, Greenland, and North America? They depended on cod. Why did Boston and the rest of the New England colonies gain power almost overnight? They had developed a great cod industry off of Cape Cod. Throughout the last 1000 years of world history, especially North Atlantic history, the fishing of cod has been a key issue. Kurlansky develops the cod fishing industry through time as well as location. Attention is given to Gloucester, Iceland, and Newlyn, three cod fish capitals in a former life. However these towns, as well as the codfish industry itself, are being lost due to overfishing. The author takes time to describe the current state of the codfish industry, where overfishing and the subsequent government-issued moratoriums have forced most cod fishermen into the unemployment line.
This very entertaining book will leave you wanting more. I have already added a few similar subject books to my “To Read” list in order to whet my appetite. Overall, a very good book about the impact of a fish on 1000 years of world history, and the current struggles to keep this fish from extinction.
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LibraryThing member sggottlieb
Very interesting popular history book. Easy to read with lots of little known facts.
LibraryThing member isabelx
There is almost no waste to a cod. The head is more flavorful than the body, especially the throat, called a tongue, and the small discs of flesh on either side, called cheeks. The air bladder, or sound, a long tube against the backbone that can fill or release gas to adjust swimming depth, is
How did cod change the world? I'm afraid that information is on a need-to-know basis only, and if you need to know, you will have to read this book! This book tells the story of the rise and fall of the cod fisheries of the North Atlantic, and includes a selection of cod recipes from the past 500 years.
A note for Mark Kurlansky: Fish and chips is not hyphenated, and it's a chip shop (chippie for short), not a fish-and-chip shop. I'll have cod and chips twice please, wrapped.
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rendered to make isinglass, which is used industrially as a clarifying agent and in some glues. But sounds are also fried by codfishing peoples, or cooed in chowders or stews. The roe is eaten, fresh or smoked. Newfoundland fishermen also prize the female gonads, a two-pronged organ they call the britches, because its shape resembles a pair of pants. Britches are fried like sounds. Icelanders used to eat the milt, the sperm, in whey. The Japanese still eat cod milt. Stomachs, tripe and liver are all eaten, and the liver oil is highly valued for its vitamins. How did cod change the world? I'm afraid that information is on a need-to-know basis only, and if you need to know, you will have to read this book! This book tells the story of the rise and fall of the cod fisheries of the North Atlantic, and includes a selection of cod recipes from the past 500 years.
A note for Mark Kurlansky: Fish and chips is not hyphenated, and it's a chip shop (chippie for short), not a fish-and-chip shop. I'll have cod and chips twice please, wrapped.
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LibraryThing member bexaplex
Great cultural history of cod eating — Kurlansky talks about the "secret" pre-Columbus Basque cod fishing grounds, the value of salt cod as an international trade good in the molasses/rum/slave triangle and many other intersections of military, political and cultural history that involve cod. The
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recipes are woven into the narrative (e.g. traditional Caribbean dishes of salt cod date from the poor-quality cures shipped to slave plantations). The missing bit is modern research — there are a few paragraphs about relevant natural history, such as cod's trophic strategy and type of musculature, but there's no insight into what is being learned now about small populations and stock rebuilding. Show Less
LibraryThing member haydenbraun
Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World seems at the surface a bland and uninteresting story. However from the start the topic of cod and its impact on major historical events is unraveled in a seemingly endless array of important details and facts on major historical events. Few seem
This book caught my attention from the start as the author creatively switches his perspective several times throughout the novel. His changing perspective and creative
literary features left me astounded as well did his historical yet exciting style of writing. From a seemingly empty knowledge of Cod the book transformed into an expert on the life and times of everything Cod. Most amazing was how Cod tied into historical events that I was learning in class but covering at the same time in this book.
Not only is Kurlansky transforming Cod into a interesting topic he does so in an unbiased and interesting fashion. Instead of collecting all his information from one group of people he balances the story out by describing how people in all parts of Cod life co exist and view each other. Kurlanksy describes the views of nature preservationists but quickly will transform his novel into a typical fisherman’s view where there is never enough fish to be caught and turned into quick money. This fair and even balance of ideas allows people of all ideas and beliefs to quickly pick this book up and start turning the pages.
My overall impression of the book is that Kurlansky has taken an overall bland subject and transformed it into something I a high school student can even enjoy. Although much of the story is geared toward history it is done in a fun and never boring way. Through completion of the book I must confess I was extremely satisfied by the book and my new found understanding of the fish cod and the roles it played throughout civilizations formation. I highly recommend this book and intend to read more books by Kurlanksy someday.
Hayden Braun
01/14/09
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to recognize or even understand the historical history behind cod and how it is responsible for major wars and long held prejudices against foreign peoples. Mark Kurlansky thoughtfully displays the cod and paints its significance in events like the formation of the Spanish Armada and even the discovery of the America’s. At first a seemingly useless book Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World proves to be an instant classic to anyone.This book caught my attention from the start as the author creatively switches his perspective several times throughout the novel. His changing perspective and creative
literary features left me astounded as well did his historical yet exciting style of writing. From a seemingly empty knowledge of Cod the book transformed into an expert on the life and times of everything Cod. Most amazing was how Cod tied into historical events that I was learning in class but covering at the same time in this book.
Not only is Kurlansky transforming Cod into a interesting topic he does so in an unbiased and interesting fashion. Instead of collecting all his information from one group of people he balances the story out by describing how people in all parts of Cod life co exist and view each other. Kurlanksy describes the views of nature preservationists but quickly will transform his novel into a typical fisherman’s view where there is never enough fish to be caught and turned into quick money. This fair and even balance of ideas allows people of all ideas and beliefs to quickly pick this book up and start turning the pages.
My overall impression of the book is that Kurlansky has taken an overall bland subject and transformed it into something I a high school student can even enjoy. Although much of the story is geared toward history it is done in a fun and never boring way. Through completion of the book I must confess I was extremely satisfied by the book and my new found understanding of the fish cod and the roles it played throughout civilizations formation. I highly recommend this book and intend to read more books by Kurlanksy someday.
Hayden Braun
01/14/09
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LibraryThing member lindseynichols
the rather gripping story of how an ugly, slow-moving, easily-salted fish revolutionized trade routes all over the world.
LibraryThing member gulley
Great stories, but I could have done a few less salt cod recipes.
LibraryThing member mykl-s
Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky (1998)
LibraryThing member snash
A look at history, politics, biology, fishing, conservation, and cooking as they impact upon man's relationship with cod. Well written and quite interesting although scary since the cod have been pretty well wiped out of the oceans.
LibraryThing member jlparent
Informative and entertaining, this really was quite good. I never thought about how one thing - in this case cod - could change the world, but it really makes sense. Especially when it talks about salting/drying cod and those who did that earlier could travel longer, explore more, etc. Overall:
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well-liked, recommend to anyone with an interest in history. Show Less
LibraryThing member drmarymccormack
When I was young, and my father took me to the farm he grew up on in Ireland, my uncle Paddy always used to say to me "I'm just codding you." I never knew what the heck he meant until I read this book! I really liked this book.
LibraryThing member sylliu
Before I read this book, I never thought much about cod, the flaky white fish found in frigid waters of the North Atlantic. It turns out that cod was once so abundant and so significant in the economic and political history of the West, that it was responsible for, among other things: spurring the
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earliest Viking explorations to the New World; forming the economic basis for independent American colonies and thus spurring the Revolution; serving as a critical link in the triangular pre-Civil War slave trade; shaping the nautical destinies of countries like Portugal, Spain, and Norway; and spawning the Cod Wars of the 1970s and the resulting expansions by nations of their territorial reach to 200 miles out to sea. Besides this fascinating history interspersed with archaic cod recipes, Cod also tells the more tragic story of the 1,000 year fishing spree on cod, and the development of industrial-scale fishing that has decimated its populations to the point of near-extinction. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
James Beard Foundation Award (Winner — 1998)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1997
Physical description
7 x 0.6 inches
ISBN
0140275010 / 9780140275018